


You've Started To Feel Like Home

by Jules_SuperWhoLock123



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: ironman - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 07:44:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19719253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jules_SuperWhoLock123/pseuds/Jules_SuperWhoLock123
Summary: A fluffy, platonic father/daughter relationship between my own original character, Denver, and Tony Stark. Denver is a new college teacher who is awestruck by Stark's lecture at the college she's at. She finds herself under his wing.





	You've Started To Feel Like Home

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a one-shot, but who knows. If people like this and if I find a rare spark of inspiration, I could write more ^.^  
> There is a small anxiety attack in the middle and mild swearing scattered throughout.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit-” I mutter as I run through the hallways, scrambling to the elevator. Of course I had to be running late the greatest lecture of the year. It’s only my second day of officially teaching at the college and I somehow have already screwed it up, and it’s not even my own lecture. Seriously, Tony freaking Stark is teaching this class. He had apparently made a deal with the school that if he could teach a lecture, he could have access to the brilliant minds he knew were lurking in this school to use as assistants and technicians. It probably didn’t hurt that he donated a healthy sum of money. I’m certain he could probably do whatever he wants to and get away with it. So of course, I couldn’t not go to this lecture, even if I’m not technically his student.

I see the elevator doors closing just as I draw near, “Hold the door!” I shout, hustling the last few yards, jamming my hand to reverse the movement of the doors at the same time as the person inside.

“Thank you so much. I’m running late…” I swallow my words the moment my frazzled brain comprehends who has just saved my ass.  _ Are you freaking kidding me right now, _ I think angrily at the universe. Apparently I’m not the only one running late to Stark’s lecture, the man himself is as well, “your… lecture…” I say, dumbfounded. When he looks up, my mouth is still hanging open and I quickly snap it shut, “Oh my god.” 

“What. What?” He whirls around looking at every wall, “Is there a spider or something? Is it on me?” He pats himself down, trying to find the mysterious offender. 

“No. No. I’m so sorry. It’s just… It’s you. It’s Tony Stark running late to his own class,” I can’t help but laugh softly at the irony of the situation, “It’s definitely not someone with your standing of respect should do.” 

“Jokes on you, Miss -” he pauses, 

“Wells. Denver Wells.” I state breathlessly, still trying to wrap my mind around the man standing in front of me.

“Miss Wells, I haven’t had any self-respect for years so I can hardly have any, what’d you call it? Standing of respect?”

I snort amidst my attempt to hold back my laughter at the absurdity of his words. Awkwardness fills the air as we both fall quiet, and the rest of the elevator ride is silent.

“I guess I’ll see you around, kid.” He flashes his million-dollar smile at me as he leaves. I stand there awestruck, still in the elevator. A ding notifying that the doors are closing shakes me from my haze and I slip through the doors, seeing a flash of Tony’s expensive watch as he closes the door to his classroom behind him. Hurriedly, I follow his trail and am enraptured by every word he speaks.

The rest of the week passes by me as unremarkable, nothing able to top the events that I had found myself living on Tuesday morning. I heave a sigh as I walk to my dorm room, collapsing on the couch, exhausted from the stressful week of school.

“I don’t wanna,” I mumble indignantly when my phone starts it’s incessant ring. “Hello?” I answer, filling my voice with fake cheer.

“Denver. You need to come to the bar tonight. Apparently there’s a big event going on, and it’s going to be wild.” My friend’s voice shouts over the phone. 

“I’ll be there.” 

_ \-------------- _

But as it turns out that the big event is something that is really exciting only for people like my friends. Those who can find joy in the simplest of things, and don’t want to pursue anything serious in their lives. 

I watch discontentedly as my friends mingle throughout the bar, sipping at my drink in silence. In my solitude, every little mistake I’ve made, every little mishap in conversations seeps to the forefront of my mind. And the feeling that I need to run slowly creeps up on me, as though I would be okay with being anywhere in the world, as long as it isn’t in this room. A room filled with people who are probably judging me, and…

My breathe tightens as my anxiety spikes, only getting worse in the hot, crowded room. I distantly hear my drink slam down on the table as I race to the door. A deep breath of the cool, crisp, night air fills my lungs the moment I get out, helping my mind begin it’s long journey back to sanity. I end up in the alley nearby, my bare shoulders landing on the cold, stone walls, and I’m able to feel grounded again. 

_ 1, 2, 3, 4… _ I count silently, breathing in circles until my heart finally stops its relentless pounding. And though the cold air is therapeutic, I immediately start to regret not grabbing my jacket during my frantic race to freedom, the goosebumps already making me shiver. But I choose to accept it, not wanting to go back inside just yet. I try to distract myself from the cold, looking up at the vast expanse of the night sky and wishing that the lights weren’t so damn bright. The light pollution so abundant in the city that it makes the moon look lonely in it’s journey across the sky. Although, the moon in it’s solitude looks so inviting as I watch its slow crawl across the darkness, its warm glow stems a longing to join it in the sky. To escape from my boring, lonely life on earth.

“Are you okay?” A tentative voice asks me, big doe eyes glinting in the lights from the bar, “I saw you run out suddenly, and I just wanted too…” The voice trails off, and I finally see who it belongs to as they step into the small pool of light near me. 

_ You have got to be kidding me,  _ I think in near horror, the embarrassment of having Tony Stark follow me out nearly restarts my panic.

“Why does this keep happening to me? Why does the universe think that it’s okay for Tony Stark to keep finding me in awkward situations? Like asking me, a rookie teacher from college I only just started teaching at, if I’m okay. First the elevator and now…” My breath wheezes near the end, the disbelief and panic I try to hold back still bleeding into my voice. 

“Because you’re a genius, my dear, Denver, you have a brain that if taught well could easily rival my own. Because you caught my attention, asking such insightful and smart questions, in a class that you go to just because you can.” He says, smiling comfortingly. He picks at his shirt sleeves as he continues, “So… are you?”

“I’m…” I trail off, searching for the right word, “Okay?” I say, landing on the most cliche answer. But I could see instantly that he didn’t believe me, his raised left eyebrow confirming my suspicion. 

“Why me?” I blurt out, “And it’s not… right?” I don’t finish, too uncomfortable to fully ask my question, with no idea how to even ask it.

“You set off my scared, lonely, and anxious kid alarm the first time I met you, instantly making my strangely strong dad instincts surface. So no… it’s not.” He gestures wildly, effectively answering my unspoken question. As he speaks, his gentle and melodic voice calms my frayed nerves, sweeping my panic away with every word. The two of us fall into a companionable silence, Stark eventually making his way over to lean against the wall next to me. No longer distracted though, a violent shiver races through my body as the chill settles back into my bones. I feel Tony’s gaze, filled with laughter settle on me again.

“Where is your coat, young lady?” A tone reminding me of my own dad trickling into his words.

“Inside.” I say, sheepishly, his stern voice immediately making me feel like a kid again. I absentmindedly see him start to shrug off his jacket, my mind too worn down with the whirlwind of emotions. Not to mention, that he somehow feels so comfortable to be around already, even though we’ve only had a few conversations is a whole other world on its own.

“No, I-” I try to fight Tony as he tries to wrap the jacket around my shoulders, but he gives me a look that has me silenced. 

“I’ll be fine, but you just have that tiny dress on. That you must’ve paid way to much for because half of the fabric is missing,” Tony jokes, but I just ignore him, snuggling warmly into his jacket that is way too big for me. 

“Can we go somewhere?” I ask, pulling the lapels of the coat so that it’s wrapped tightly around my torso, “I don’t… can’t go back inside there.” I see his eyes soften in sympathy, understanding lighting a bulb behind his eyes, almost as though he could relate.

“I’ll be right back, Denver.” Tony says, quickly making his way back inside. Appearing moments later with my jacket in hand, and a briefcase, at which point it’s my turn to raise an eyebrow.

“You brought your work with you… to a bar?” I say dryly. 

“It’s not quite what you’re thinking.” He smirks and clicks a button on the top. My mouth once again drops open as red nano particles start crawling out of the briefcase, covering him in a strong, metal armor.

“What… How...When did-” I stutter, the technology more advanced than anything I’ve ever seen. 

“Oh, Miss Wells. This isn’t even the best of it.” Tony smiles, and beckons me to stand next to him. He wraps a secure arm around me, and I know that my life will never be the same as he takes off, leading me to the best place in the world. Anywhere.


End file.
